How important is drying hands after washing them?

4 June 2018

While the act of washing one’s hands after finishing using the toilet may seem like a routine and a must in general, you would be surprised at the number of people not washing their hands after using the toilet!

In some of the surveys carried out studying on washroom user behavior, a higher percentage of males actually do not wash hands, compared to the lower percentage among its female counterpart. Yikes!

We all know that washing hands after a toilet use cultivates good hygiene practice and brings benefit to your own health and well-being. Besides personal hygiene, food handlers in our food and beverage industry along with high dependency industrial, food manufacturing and hospital environment would definitely call for strict hygiene practices. Any lapses in hygiene practice would be crucial as it may lead to business closures, hefty fines and penalties from regulatory bodies.

In fact, washing hands regularly with water and soap is able to reduce diarrheal diseases by 50%. 

Aside from this washing hands practice, let’s explore another topic of drying hands after washing. Although always considered as a secondary requirement, yet many are unaware the action of drying wet hands is important to keep out bacteria and contamination at bay on your hands.

Drying hands after washing is critical mainly because damp hands spread 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands! Therefore always dry your hands before leaving the washroom.

More reasons of why you should wash and dry your hands:

1. Proper hand hygiene minimizes respiratory infections by 16%. This includes washing your hands with soap and water, then drying it completely.
2. Influenza virus survives on hands and surfaces up to 48 hours.
3. There are as many as 1,000 resident bacteria per cm2 on a hand; a single hand has a population count of over 200 million bacteria per square inch.
4. Bacteria like E.coli multiply its population every 20 minutes and stays alive on your hands for up to 3 hours.
5. By drying your wet hands, you help to keep the washroom floor clean and dry. This aids in promoting a safe environment for everyone.

Remember, washing hands is important. Drying hands after washing is equally important. It only takes seconds for your hands to be contaminated. Learn the correct way to wash your hands effectively here.

In addition, drying hands could be further encouraged when a washroom provides the right and adequate facilities such as a paper hand towel dispenser and/or air hand dryers. Help stop the spread of bacteria by making hand drying a priority, speak with our hygiene specialists today.